. over 22 @ , @ 000 australians were taken prisoner in early 1942 and endured harsh conditions in japanese captivity . the prisoners were subjected to mal ##nut ##rit ##ion , denied medical treatment and frequently beaten and killed by their guards . as a result , 8 @ , @ 296 australian prisoners died in captivity . the rapid allied defeat in the pacific caused many australians to fear that the japanese would invade the australian mainland . while elements of the imperial japanese navy proposed this in early 1942 , it was judged to be impossible by the japanese imperial general headquarters , which instead adopted a strategy of iso ##lating australia from the united states by capturing new guinea , the solomon islands ,
. over 22 @, @ 000 australians were taken prisoner in early 1942 and endured harsh conditions in japanese captivity. the prisoners were subjected to malnutrition, denied medical treatment and frequently beaten and killed by their guards. as a result, 8 @, @ 296 australian prisoners died in captivity. the rapid allied defeat in the pacific caused many australians to fear that the japanese would invade the australian mainland. while elements of the imperial japanese navy proposed this in early 1942, it was judged to be impossible by the japanese imperial general headquarters, which instead adopted a strategy of isolating australia from the united states by capturing new guinea, the solomon islands,